look for me amongst the stars
by blackefaeriequeene
Summary: Caroline Forbes-Salvatore is an actress in New Orleans for her latest movie when she has a serious mental breakdown after visiting a local museum. Damon Salvatore is her controlling husband who books her into an asylum because he can't deal with her mentally disturbed behaviour in public. Klaus Mikaelson is her no-nonsense doctor who slowly finds himself pulled into stories.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Inspiration drawn from Sandy Huth 'Wait For Me'. I own nothing.**

"Miss Forbes-Salvatore?" Doctor Klaus Mikaelson entered the plain, white room of his newest patient. She was an actress, according to his notes, who had a mental breakdown in the middle of a museum whilst shooting for her newest movie. "I'm Doctor Mikaelson" He sat down.

Caroline was huddled on her clinical looking bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, as she felt the presence of someone new. She had been here for two days at least but had only had nurses who humoured her before sticking her with their needles. "Caroline" She turned to face him. "My name is Caroline"

"I'm Klaus" Klaus offered his hand hesitantly. She was looking at him with clear blue eyes and she seemed so aware. "I'm here to help you" She shook his hand. Her grip was firm, firmer than he would expect for a patient especially given her slight stature.

Caroline looked him up and down. He really was quite attractive with curly russet hair and a tiny smile but she doubted he would look so welcoming when she told him why her husband had unceremoniously dumped her in this asylum. Then again, he and the whole world probably knew about her breakdown. "You're here to diagnose me. There's a difference"

"That too. But, I really do want to help you, love" His smile quirked up. She was wittier than he had expected which suggested that she was relatively mentally sound. Especially, given the coherence with which she spoke. He wondered what could have caused a breakdown in a seemingly well adjusted, beautiful woman. "Why don't you tell me what happened in the museum?" He kept his voice light and devoid of any authority. Trying to force someone to explain what had happened never worked.

Caroline looked straight at his blue eyes. This was the part where he would be scared off and call her crazy just like Damon did in the museum "Damon and I had the day off so we thought we'd explore New Orleans" She paused for a moment. The image of Damon swam into her mind and she shuddered involuntarily. "We decided to visit the Historic New Orleans Collection because I've always loved history and Damon decided to indulge me" Her lip curled as she remembered the arguments.

"Indulge you?" Klaus interrupted with a blank face. He decided to make a note of her words as that did not sound like her relationship was her husband was the best and that needed to be explored later. He saw Caroline's worried look and motioned for her to carry on.

Caroline looked apprehensive. She should not have said that. Damon would kill her. She huddled closer within herself. "Anyway, we were exploring the lives of ordinary people in the 1500s in Europe-" She broke off. Klaus would call her crazy. He would have her committed permanently. A tiny voice niggled in her head that wouldn't be so bad. She would be safe.

"No need for nerves, sweetheart" Klaus gave her an encouraging look with a flash of the famous Mikaelson grin. The one that Elijah utilised to manipulate his way around people, the one that Kol used to seduce whoever he chose and the one that he used on his patients. Pity, that Finn was left out of the Mikaelson lottery. "I'm here to help you not to judge" Although, privately, he admitted that he did judge his patients sometimes. Such as Kai Parker. He was a psychopath no matter how his colleague Cami tried to pretty him up.

Caroline took a deep breath. "I saw this tiny toy doll made of sticks" It had been delicately made out of wood and tied together with a silken ribbon and it was hers. From the moment she saw it, her soul had whispered that it was hers. "And, I knew it was mine. I don't know how but I knew my older brother had made that for me long ago" The words flew out of her mouth. I

"Long ago?" Klaus scribbled some notes down on his notepad and checked his records. He didn't remember them saying Caroline had a brother. He breathed out. There was no mention of a sibling in his records. "How long, love? And, what brother?"

A tall brown haired figure rose up in her mind. He had always been there for her. And, he was still here today. It was only his relationship that changed. "My brother, Edward. He made it for me when we were children in Elizabeth England, scurrying around as our parents served the Earl of Leicester" An unknown longing struck her heart. How could she have forgotten for so long? How could she not remember that which was the truth?

"Let me clarify, love. You believe that you are reincarnated" Klaus fought hard to remain neutral. She had seemed perfectly sane until she opened her mouth. Reincarnation was impossible. No doubt, she had translated her stress and trauma into a more plausible, more acceptable story for her mind to understand.

Caroline quirked her lip. She knew that tone of revulsion so well. She had even expected it. But, a small part of her felt injured by his tone. She had wanted him to understand. "Yes and I can prove it. I can tell you about my past lives" She wanted to explain. To make him understand that she was far from crazy. "Let me explain"

"I think that's enough for today, sweetheart" He needed time to process this and discover what exactly was wrong with Caroline Forbes. She had seemed normal to begin with but it was evident that she was mentally disturbed. "I'll see you soon"

Caroline reached out to grab his hand. "Please listen to me" She focused her eyes upon his hardened face. She needed someone to listen. "I can explain" She offered up a weak smile. "I was born in the year of our Lord 1560 to John and Mary of Warwick, servants in the castle of Kenilworth to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester" She blurted out in an attempt to stop him leaving. She did not understand why she felt so drawn to him. Why she needed to make him understand.

"I'm sure you think you were, love" Klaus humoured her as he opened the door to leave the room. He looked back and saw her with fierce blue eyes and reddened cheeks. She was beautiful. He shook his head in disbelief. She was a patient at his asylum. She was not here to flirt with despite her lovely figure.

His eyes met hers and she took another breath. "Look in the parish records for the diocese of Coventry, England. There will be a John and Mary of Warwick with four children: Edward, Henry, Eleanor and" She paused for a second as she remembered herself. Matilda. A coltish young woman with none of the prettiness of her mother nor sister. "Matilda. Look in the records of 1560 onwards and you'll see I'm telling the truth. I was Matilda, servant to the Earl of Leicester just as my parents before me and married to a wool merchant from Norwich. Look in the parish records for a Jasper and Matilda of Mousehold with Elizabeth from 1580s onwards" An image of her long dead daughter swum to the forefront of her mind. A tiny waif of a girl with the darkest black hair that did not match her father's and caused much controversy in their small village. "And, look for a Johann of Treslong, a minor Flemish nobleman" And the man she loved. She longed to find him. To find the man that had been Johann and Caleb and Alexander in her life.

"I'll be sure to do that, sweetheart" He quipped semi sarcastically as he definitively left the room. He did not look back for fear of being enthralled once more. She was bewitching with her talk of the past and he had almost wanted to believe her. She certainly had serious neural issues if this was her coping mechanism. He put on his jacket. He needed to put her out of his mind. Instead, he thought of the whiskey waiting on his table.

 **A/N: I have no idea where this came from but I felt the need to write it. I'd like your thoughts please. And, don't worry I will update my other stories but I'm a very slow writer and also have lots of deadlines at the moment. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Indeed there was a John and Mary of Warwick and a Matilda and Jasper of Mousehold but why the sudden interest, Niklaus?" Elijah's eyes roved the room with mild distaste. Bottles of whiskey lay discarded across the silken oriental carpet and there were paint splatters in every direction. Niklaus never did understand the concept of tidy. "I do not recall you ever being interested in history as a child and certainly not in the history of peasants" His lip curled upwards in disdain at Niklaus's drunken state.

Klaus attempted to straighten himself out. He had not seen his brother for a few months and no doubt Elijah would report back to Esther and Rebekah that he truly was living up to the stereotype of an artist in his free time. "Call it a personal interest" He was unwilling to disclose the information that Caroline, his patient his mind niggled, had shared with him. So, she knew about some peasants in some godforsaken village in England but that didn't mean she was reincarnated. There were plenty enough ways to find out that information. All it had taken was a quick phone call to Elijah, the resident historian, and he had contacted his colleagues in England and then the information was at his fingertips.

"Regarding your biological family? You don't believe you are related to these peasants do you, Niklaus?" Elijah's eyes bored into him. Niklaus preferred to remain away from the family with the exception of Rebekah and so his call had been really quite out of the blue. Especially, given the words that had come to pass between himself and Niklaus. And, yet Elijah would always stand by his brother and offer his aid. In addition, he must confess, that he had been intrigued by this bizarre request. Niklaus had asked him for favours before, usually related to a misguided attempt to find his biological father but Elijah could not fathom what a couple of peasants in the 15th century had to do with Niklaus.

Klaus's face stretched into a kind of smile though really it was more of a drunken grimace. "It is no concern of yours, Elijah" He was not impolite but there was a clear menace. The last thing he needed was his family trying to dissuade him from finding his biological father again. Only, Rebekah had understood what it meant to him. To find the man who did not even know he had fathered a son due to Mikael's cruelty. "Don't tell Esther about this" It was a clear dismissal.

"I would not, Niklaus" Elijah turned to leave. He smoothed down his suit jacket unconsciously as he walked out, curiosity attacking his mind. Niklaus had been typically ungrateful and dismissive but he had expected it after what had come to pass between them. But, he was glad to have seen him. He had heard cautious reports from Rebekah, scandalous rumours from Kol and heavy handed criticism from Finn about the state of Niklaus but now he could judge for himself. Niklaus was coping. And, that was all Elijah could ask for after what he had done. After what their parents had done.

Klaus waited for Elijah to leave before staggering to his feet unsteadily with none of the grace he displayed whilst sober. He looked down at the documents that Elijah had left. Matilda of Mousehold, formerly of Warwick, married to Jasper of Mousehold had one daughter, Elizabeth of Mousehold who died at the age of seven. Matilda of Warwick with siblings Edward, Henry and Eleanor. He looked closer through the drunken blurriness. Edward was the only one to outlive his siblings and have surviving children. He married Anne of Whitwick and they had seven children: Edward, Anne, Matilda, Henry, John, Mary and Elizabeth. He noted with interest that Edward of Warwick had honoured all his siblings except for Eleanor. Matilda's brother Henry died at age fifteen. Matilda herself was recorded to have died at either 20 or 23. And, Eleanor at the ripe age of thirty as a spinster. Klaus threw the papers to the side in frustration. Why was he wasting his time? Caroline's story was just that a story. And, yet her earnest blue eyes wanted to convince him otherwise. He pulled out an empty canvas angrily and began to paint. He needed her eyes to stop haunting him. He needed to stop seeing flashes of blonde in every corner. She was his patient. His patient with mental health issues. He painted furiously. The blues of her eyes adorned every inch of his clothing and yet he needed to paint. To paint away the influence that she had on him. He heard her voice pleading for him to understand. He shook his head. She was getting to him. He threw down his paintbrush in disgust and drops of pink splattered everywhere. The soft pink of her lips. Mikael was right. He was pathetic. He sank to the floor and scrabbled to find the scant pieces of information on Matilda of Mousehold. There was only information about her birth, marriage and death. Surely, there had to be more information. Why did he care anyway? Who was this Matilda to him? Who was Caroline to him? Even her name had an enticing cadence.

The following morning…

"You came back" Caroline's face widened in surprise as she saw Klaus walk into her room. Her doctor. The man who undoubtedly believed she was crazy. But, he did come back. All of the nurses had scurried out after hearing her story once. Even, Doctor O'Connell, supposedly the best, had refused to visit her again. But, Klaus had come back. She offered him up a nervous smile.

Klaus maintained his composure. The radiant smile that had just appeared on her face was worth the concerned looks he had received from Cami this morning when he said that he would visit Caroline again. "Of course I did, love" His voice came out gentler than he had intended. "I am your doctor after all" He quickly tagged that on to maintain the correct professional boundaries. She was his patient. He felt the need to repeat that time and time again otherwise he felt like at any given moment his barriers would slip down and invite her in. Why did she affect him so much? "You were right. There was a Matilda of Mouseheath, formerly of Warwick" He inclined his head slightly.

"You did some research" Caroline felt a smile break out across her face. "You believe me" She crossed her arms expectantly as she waited for his confirmation. No way did he do all that research on the tiniest possibility she was telling the truth. He believed her story. He believed she had been reincarnated. He believed her. And, that was so surprisingly satisfying. She wasn't mad. She was perfectly sane.

Her smile was beatific. It made him feel a happiness that was so foreign and so inviting. It was a shame he would have to break it. He had awoken in the morning to a beautiful portrait of Caroline staring down at him and amongst the documents detailing Matilda of Mousehold. And, he had to concede he felt something deep within his gut. He did not believe she was telling the truth and yet it did not feel like a lie. There was something there. A story and he wanted to uncover it. "I don't believe you're lying" He admitted. "But, I can't say you're telling the truth either, yet. So, I want you to tell me your story"

"I'll take that to start with" Caroline felt lighter than she had felt in days. Sure, he didn't fully believe her but he was willing to listen to her. That was the first step. And, really she wasn't sure she would believe someone's story if it was as outrageous as hers. "Where do you want me to start? She straightened up in her seat.

Klaus looked into those inviting blue eyes. There was something so light and happy about her. He shook himself mentally. He was here as a doctor. As a professional. "Tell me about your life as Matilda, love"

 **A/N Thank you for reading! And, for being so patient!**


End file.
